Animal trap



May 19, 1925.

H. F. KRAUSE ANIMAL TRAP' Filed March 12. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented vMay 19, 192s.

animals; are to be drowned in the-tra lt vv.'o ends are' 4closed by' trapezoi al endplates 13 secured tothe longitudinal sides 11, as by rivets or the like,

l vide a trap A.saryventilation in order to which correspond to run TES y,PATENT o Price.

nanny r. xnAUsn, or scnunmrnvno, Texas.

ANIMAL TRAP. i

` Application filed Iarch 12,1924. Serial No. 698,734.' v

To all lwhom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY -F. KRAUSE, a

vcitizen of the United States, residing at Schulenburg, in the county of Fayette and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal Traps,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to traps forcatching anim-als, such as rats and mice, and the main object of the invention is to provide a trap 'of this character which' remains set all' the time` ready to catch any rodents independent of how many have already been caught.

Another object of the invention is to prowhich will not only catch very small mice but also large rats.

The trap is very substantially constructed so that it cannot et out ofvorder by constant usage or roug handling. It is perfectly'sanitary and easy to empty for disposing of thetrapped animals.

I n the' accompanying drawings, one embodimentof theinvention is illustrated,

and` Figure 1 is a side elevation of the trap;

Figurer2 is a horizontal section along line 2-2of Figure 1; f 1

Figure 3 is a vertical section along line 3-3fof Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a transver 4 4 of Figure 3.

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 represents the base of a trap which'is made in the shape of a pyramidic frustum with its-.narrowest part upwards. The base has two longitudinal sides 1-1 which are prefer.-

ably perforated, as at 12, to Erovide neceseep the trap 1n sanitary condition. These also serve for admitting water the caught and Atransversely on the two end plates 13 are secured slats 14 or steps on a ladder to facilitate theclim ing 'up of the animals to reach the tOp of thetra upperends of thetrapezoidal end p ates 13v for-a Hoor 16 aving a han The extend inwardly to provide short bridges 18 artly 'coveringv thetop opening in the aselO.

` The box-shaped base 10 is open at the bottom and the longitudin-alsides 11 are rovided with narrow-led 15 formin guides at the inner ends 22 of the trap doors, to

e section along line .-hook 25 adapted to carry the bait, preterperforations The e 17 at one end.- This construction ermits the sliding out ofthe floor 16 towar s the left of Figures 1, 2'and 3 in`order to dump the caught animals out of the trap.

The'top opening in the base 10 is closed by means of two trap doors 19 hinged, as at 20.at the ends of the bridges 18. The outer ends of the trap doors havedownwardly directed wings-2l forming counter-weights to insure the normal closing of the` topopen ing in the base 10. The trap doors 19 are thus well balanced so that it requires only a very slight weight, as that of a small mouse,

- trap. T is drum is preferably rectangular or square in cross section and wide and high enough to ermit the entry of large rats.l In the mid leof the drum. 1s suspended a ably. exactly above vthemeeting edges22 of the trap doors'19.' In order` to lfacihtate the transportation ofthe trap,..*whether `filled or em ty, a handle 26is rovided on top ,of the and'4. Withthe trap bait'ed and set up mja 'place where the vanima-ls congregate, tl'ie-latrum 24, .as seenin. iguresjl,3

fiat surface of the tra doors 19,' both. of which are' level when tie trap isset. I t-is evident 'that rats may approach'. the baitfrom either side of the trap and' in this 'mannertwo rats'may enter the drum at the same time'- but from different ends of the .tra In order to reach the bait the rat wi vhave to advance along the trap door 19 and directly it has assed the Ahinge 20, its 'weight will overba ance the trap door which will swing into the dotted'line position shown 1n Figure 3 and deposit the rat no in the base of the'tra The trap door 1 9A will thereupon imme 'ately close. As 1t as indicated by dotted lines in'Fig- 953-' er will be attracted by the baie and tn/.w -jl approach the same" by ascending the 'ladder Y formed .by the rungs 14; and arrive'on thecan swing only downwardly at its inner edge 22, there is not the slightest possibility of the rat, caught in the trap, escaping therefrom, the trap door being held from swinging in the, opposite direction by its rear portion restin upon the brid e 18.

As the Vbait on t e hookv 25 is p aced 1n such a position that it cannot be reached unless the animal is near the edge 22 of the trap door, it is clear that the baitwill be undisturbed as the trap swings imme'J-l diately the animal approaches this edge. Accordingly, the trap need not be baited more than, say, once a day or until the bait has lost its attraction for the animals.

When one or more animals have been caught in the trap, the trap may be lowered in a basin of water in order to drown them as the water can easily enter through the apertures 12 to fill the trap. Finally, the sliding oor 16 is removed for dumping out the animals caught in the trap.` As the trap is then wide openat its under side, it is ,ver easily cleaned whereupon it may again be aited and the bottom replacedthereby placing it in condition to be set up for further use.

Upon reference to Fi s. 3 and 4, it will be noted that the side wa ls of the tunnel exe tend down into the base between the. sides of the same and that the wings of the doors extend through the bridges immediately `adjacent thelower ortions of the side walls of the tunnel. his construction and arrangement causes the wings to serve as guides for the doors aswell .as counter-l.

welghts for theisame so that lateral movement of the doors -is electually prevented f but'v it is evi ent that othe'rmaterial such as wood, fiber or the like maybe used.

Having thus what isclaimed as new is:

An animal trap com rising a described the inve'ntinn'fl ,60

base open at top and bottom, bri ges extending 'from Y the top edges of the end walls of the base in-l wardly between the side walls thereof, a refv j .55

movable floor plate `normally closingv the bottom of the base, a tunnel secured on top of the base and havin its side walls de.y pending into the base t rough the bridges, doors hinged between their ends at the inner ed es of the bridges,' the outer portions of the oors normally resting on the brid s and the inner vportions thereof normalle closing the top of the base, wings'dependl v ing from the side'sof the outenportions of the doors and extending through the bridges immediatel adjacent the side walls of the tunnel, an a bait holder in the tunnel.

In testimony whereof I. aiiix my signature.

p HENRY F. KRAUSE. [L a] 

